The present invention relates to the formation of a direct-vision type liquid crystal display unit.
As a method for displaying stereoscopic images, a technology of supplying images specifically to right and left eyes has been known since the past (xe2x80x9cBasics of Three-Dimensional Picturesxe2x80x9d edited by NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories under the supervision of Takehiro Izumi, Published by Ohm Sha, Ltd.).
In concrete, there have been known a method of projecting an image for right eye and that for left eye by superposing each other on the same screen by using two projectors and of viewing them separately by right and left eyes by using special filters, and a formation adapted to enable to view different images by right and left eyes by using lenticular lenses.
However, such formations have had a problem that they require two images to be formed respectively by different image forming means, e.g. liquid crystal projectors, thus increasing the complexity and size of the whole formation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a formation which enables to display stereoscopic images on a direct-vision type liquid crystal panel.
One of the inventions of a display unit disclosed in the present specification is characterized in that it has domains of pixels disposed in a matrix and a liquid crystal layer to which orientations are given by diving the pixel domains into two groups; and that a first image is formed in one group of the oriented domains of the liquid crystal layer and a second image is formed in the other group of the oriented domains of the liquid crystal layer.
FIG. 1 shows a concrete example of the display unit constructed as described above. In the formation shown in FIG. 1, different orientations as shown by arrows are given to odd rows of the domains of pixels disposed in a matrix (indicated typically by reference numerals 105 and 106) and to even rows (indicated typically by reference numerals 107 and 108). The orientations of the liquid crystal provided in a gap 103 are given in accordance to these orientations.
Then, the first image is formed in the domains composed of the odd rows described above and the second image is formed in the domains composed of the even rows.
The formation of a display unit according to another invention is characterized in that it has a liquid crystal layer in which different orientations are given in stripes and that a first image is formed in odd domains of the striped domains; and a second image is formed in even domains of the striped domains.
The formation of a display unit according to a still other invention is characterized in that it has a pair of translucent substrates; liquid crystal sandwiched between the translucent substrates; and orientation giving means disposed on the pair of substrates on the side of the surface which contacts with the liquid crystal; and that domains having a first orientation and domains having a second orientation, whose direction of orientations are different by 90xc2x0 or approximately 90xc2x0 from each other, are formed on the liquid crystal by the orientation giving means; the domains having the first orientation and the domains having the second orientation are disposed in stripes; a first image is formed in the domains having the first orientation among the domains of the liquid crystal to which the different orientations are given in stripes; and a second image is formed in the domains having the second orientation among the domains of the liquid crystal to which the different orientations are given in stripes.
In the liquid crystal panel constructed as described above, the liquid crystal is put into a state in which the orientations differ by 90xc2x0 from each other per one line or per a plurality of lines forming an image to input linearly polarized lights which conform to the respective orientations in a time division manner.
Then, image lights having polarizing directions which differ by 90xc2x0 from each other are time-divided and displayed on the liquid crystal panel. The images may be viewed by right and left eyes separately by viewing them through glasses provided with polarizing filters having polarizing directions which differ by 90xc2x0 for the right and left eyes.
A stereoscopic image may be obtained by appropriating the images optically modulated by the liquid crystal layer having the respective orientations as the image for the right eye and that for the left eye.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the following description and the accompanying drawings in which like numeral refer to like parts.